eromenosfandomcom-20200214-history
Aither
“Brightness” Later spelled aether and ether, it is the high atmosphere above the clouds where the gods were thought to dwell. Ganymede adopts this term from Apelyon, who himself makes use of “aithereal” describing the invisible-but-physical substance of the Undying. From this revelation Ganymede extrapolates back-ward, understanding the “unfelt breeze” that over-turned lamps in the Palladion shrine was also aither, as were the imploding star he saw in Horse House, the dancing of the hearth dwarf in Garden House, and the anxious shimmering of Skamandros. He later describes Athenë and Arë in aithereal terms, and comes to perceive every appearance of a god as little more than a willful manipulation of insubstantial aither. In Theidai, duringhis first moments among the Undying, Ganymede describes the place in which he awakens as nothing more than golden radiance, equating it to the heart of a cloud illuminated by sunlight. He also learns that Undying sometimes use the word as a form of curse, as when Athenë and Diwos separately tell Hera to “return to aither.” Diwos refers to their lofty habitation as an aithereal realm. With passing time, Ganymede’s understanding of aither increases, such that he comes to perceive it as a natural region of the Earthly biosphere in which mundane matter meets and mingles with solar and cosmic radiations, giving rise to a perpetual energy pool that surrounds the planet. The first Undying therefore emerged from aither to interact with the living beings they perceived inhabiting the world below. Upon returning to aither, these “spirit-gods” became re-absorbed into the energy pool, losing their unique identities. Over time, individual gods learned they did not need to return to aither to renew their strength, provided that they could feed on human adoration, prayer, and devotion. Elder gods did this only periodically, remaining in a sleep-like state for much of the year, only to awaken on proscribed festival occasions to feast upon orgiastic worship. Kubileya and the Seven Rivers seem to have followed this pattern, with the Rites of Ida being held each spring. The so-called younger gods, by contrast, learned they could avoid such periods of torpor by harboring their strength, adopting many names and forms for adoration in different places, and thereby maintain their potency year-round. The direct result of this symbiosis between aithereal and material was the creation of early religion. Ganymede finally surmises that modern science is very close to being able to detect and ultimately manipulate aither; an advancement that can only lead humanity into direct confrontation with the Undying and destruction of long-held religious delusions. Myth & Legend: Aether or Aither is the personification of the “pure” upper air that gods breathe, as opposed to the mundane air (aer) that mortals know. In Theogony, Aither is the son of Erebus and Nyx, and the brother of Hemera. Hyginus however makes Aether the son of Chaos and Caligo. In Hesiod’s tradition, Aether and Day produced Earth, Heaven, and Sea. The children of Aether and Earth were Grief, Deceit, Wrath, Lamentation, Falsehood, Oath, Vengeance, Intemperance, Altercation, Forgetfulness, Sloth, Fear, Pride, Incest, and Combat; Okeanos, Themis, Tartaros, Pontos; the Titans Briareos, Gyges, Steropes, Atlas, Hyperion, and Polus, Saturn (Kronos), Ops (Rheia), Moneta, Dionë; and the Furies, Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. The fifth Orphic Hymn describes Aether as “the high-reigning, ever indestructible power of Zeus,” “the best element,” and “the life-spark of all creatures.”